The Merchant of Death by D.J. MacHale (Pendragon #1)

Traveling through dimensions
Apr 13, 2015
3 min read

Bobby Pendragon always has lived a normal life - until the one fateful evening that his Uncle Press comes rushing to him, demanding his help and not taking no for an answer. A little baffled, Bobby agrees to help. However, whe he presses Press (haha. Seriously, I didn't see that.) for questions, all he is told is that a group of unnamed people need their help. Bobby never expected to be transported to a seperate dimension called Denduron. On Denduron, Bobby is unwillingly separated from his uncle and must figure out what his place is in the strange territory. Denduron is in trouble, plagued by rising unrest among it's people. Bobby is supposed to help overthrow a dispicable queen, but he has no idea how he, an ordinary boy, can do such a thing. If he wants to see his Uncle and family, not to mention his home dimension, ever again, he will have to accept his role and save the territory's oppressed people. Making his job even harder is a man named Saint Dane who wants to create chaos in Denduron.

I think Bobby is an easy hero to identify with because he's so normal. When he first comes to Denduron, he's scared and totally out of his depth. I think anyone would be. It's argruable that it's selfish of him to care so little about the territory's people, but I think that if most teens were in the same situation they would act like Bobby. When separated from the guy who is your lifeline and left alone in a place you have no idea about, most people wouldn't be super concerned with the affairs of others. MacHale has a good teen voice when writing as Bobby, and it's easy to visualize the boy.

Alongside Bobby is another girl named Loor, who I already love. She's a born fighter and a total badass, and next to her, Bobby looks like a bumbling fool with a stick when he tries to fight. She's also very formal, wording her statements like "I do not like chocolate." instead of the usuall "don't". I liked how MacHale placed the two side by side, helping the reader understand their personalities and also demonstrating how different they are from each other.

Denduron is the perfect backdrop for a novel about a hero. It's a bit dark and depressing, but also a lot like Earth. It's three suns alone make it intriguing and curious. I loved exploring it, and, once again, I can imagine it perfectly. Like Earth, it's unfair, with the wealthy living in impressive luxury, growing fat and lazy, while the poor slave away to survive. Much like the real world, the rich don't have much interest in making things better for their workers as long as they get their money.

I zipped through the book! I think the idea of a boy traveling through dimensions is very creative and original, and it's a first for me. MacHale has a good character voice and provided plenty of details to allow me to get a crystal-clear image of the world of Denduron and it's characters. There was plenty of action and adventure, as well as some sweet, warm moments Bobby's friends have, not only with him, but also with each other. Although there wasn't much romance, I wonder if maybe there'll be some later. The book certainly got me interested in reading the rest of the series and I can't wait to go on more of Pendragon's adventures! 4/5 stars!